Warmth
by m.brown
Summary: A more emotional response from Clark when he finds Lois in the train crash in the beginning of "Savior" leads to an early revelation! One-shot turned two-shot (as of now).
1. Warmth

**Thoughts on how the beginning of 9x01 could've gone! PS: I wrote this without editing, so I apologize for any errors. And I sort-of stole some lines from the show.**

Warmth. That was the first thing he registered as Clark Kent seized control of his body for the first time in weeks. He wasn't even touching her, but just seeing her face again was enough to make his skin tingle with the blood of human life.

 _Lois._

There was a shallow cut on her forehead, but other than that, she looked relatively unscathed. _She looked beautiful._ A smile graced his lips at the sight of her. He let himself stare at her for a few more moments before he remembered he was holding up a train full of people. Gently as possible, he placed the train down on the street all the while ensuring that Lois, and the rest of the passengers, didn't shift in a violent manner and injure themselves any further.

She was now leaned up against the front of a seat and began to shift. Her eyelids fluttered, but he stayed until the last second. He couldn't help it. It had only been three weeks, but for him, in the Fortress and out on the city rooftops as Kal-El, it had felt like years. He hadn't slept. He hadn't eaten. He hadn't stopped searching. So now, even as he risked exposure after everything he'd worked for, he found himself rooted to the spot.

But reality set in when she groaned and her eyes started searching the floor in front of her. Speeding away, he quickly burned his family crest into the brick wall adjacent to the train before jumping on to the rooftop above him. He felt his internal temperature immediately drop, along with his heart rate. While his own thumping chest quieted quickly, another intensifying heartbeat filled his ears. He jumped further away from the scene, but he couldn't ignore the sound. It was overwhelming.

He peered down at the scene in the street and found that it was originating from that location. All rational parts of his brain told him exactly what—or rather who it was, but Kal-El's will was stronger. He couldn't let himself concentrate on it because she was safe and that's all that mattered. They were all safe. _Safe._

* * *

He stayed long enough to see that she was okay. That's what he told himself. But the truth was, he'd said that hours ago and here he was watching her from a building across from the hospital. She was sleeping now, but he justified his presence there simply because no one else was. No nurse or doctor watching over her, no family, no friends… it tore at his insides. He wanted to be there watching her chest rise and fall with easy breathing, touching her once more and feeling her warmth overwhelm him again.

She stirred suddenly and his hands gripped the railing in anticipation. Tuning in his hearing, he heard a sigh escape her lips. It was a wonderful sound, even if it was made due to pain. But she sat up rather quickly and promptly pulled her IV out as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Ready to leap through the window and stop her himself, he stilled when he saw Chloe walk through the door. Unable to look at her directly, he turned his head towards the sky.

There. Someone was with her now. He could leave. But he stood rooted to the same spot for a few minutes more until another cry for help forced him to leave. Kal-El once again overtook his body as he sped toward the cries for help, but the steady rhythm of her heartbeat did not escape him.

It was almost midnight by the time he was able to come to a stop. Ironically, it had been the rooftop of the Daily Planet that he had chosen as his resting spot. Kal-El tried to tell himself that it was by chance, that this was simply the highest building in the area, but he knew better. Everything led back to her.

As the clock struck twelve, his eyes turned to focus on the clock tower that stood tall above Metropolis. Shutting his eyes, he focused his hearing on its loud ringing. He let the vibrations take over his body and allowed each chime invade his senses until that was all he could hear or feel. The noise was a good distraction from the constant thudding in his head, but after the twelve rings were over, he found the thumping louder than usual. Opening his eyes, he realized why.

Running down the sidewalk below him was Lois Lane. His fists clenched involuntarily at his sides. She should still be in the hospital. She had been hurt. She had been _gone._ He exhaled slowly, trying to calm his body's physical reactions, but nothing worked. Kal-El had no powers of restraint against Lois Lane.

"Hello?"

His knees shook. How many times had he dreamed about hearing that voice again? Lois was pressed up against the glass inside the phone booth, but she hung phone up just as quickly as she raised it.

"Oh, no, no... Maybe you're not calling because you're here," she whispered. He sucked in a breath and screwed his eyes shut. _Don't._

"Hello?" she yelled into the sky. Her body was directed towards his position in the sky, but he was sure that she couldn't see him. This was confirmed as soon as she turned the other way.

"Look, I know what you did for Chloe. At least let me thank you." Every instinct he had told him to rush down to her, to collect her in his arms and never let her go, but he couldn't. His training was more important than his human emotions. He had to push them away.

"Look, I'm sorry I'm late!"

 _No._

"I promise you can trust me!" Her voice broke at the end of her sentence and he lost it. He couldn't stand the distance anymore. Not when she was so close to him after being gone for what felt like forever. Three weeks of training hadn't given him enough strength to get over Lois Lane. He wasn't sure any amount of time could do that.

He jumped down into the dark alley behind her with a rather loud landing. He didn't trust himself to speak in front of her just yet, if at all. Thankfully, the sound of his arrival alerted her to his presence. Her body stilled for a moment before she turned towards him. Squinting, she took a few hesitant steps toward him, but when he retreated, she stopped.

"Hi," she said. God, she was stunning. The dim light from the street lamp above cast a glow around her body that reminded him of an angel. Though she was wearing a blood-stained tank top and her hair was in total disarray, he couldn't get over how beautiful she was. It was while these thoughts were running through his head that he realized he hadn't responded.

"Thank you for waiting. I'm sorry I was late," she said sheepishly. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Where were you?" he said. His voice came out strangled. He hadn't spoken in weeks, hadn't needed to, so his own voice was unrecognizable to both of them. She froze at the sound of his voice, but composed herself quickly.

"The hospital. I had to sneak—"

"No! Where were you?"

He hadn't meant to yell, but he couldn't control himself. The overflow of human emotions had destroyed any self-control he had previously exhibited. Frustrated with the situation and himself, he swung his fist into the corner of the building beside him. Brick fragments exploded and scattered across the alley, while his body heaved. He hadn't felt winded in years, but right now, his body felt as if he had been running non-stop for centries.

"You were gone for three weeks!"

If Lois recognized his voice, she gave no indication. Instead, she approached him cautiously with arms raised. If his emotions hadn't been running so high, he would've laughed at the situation. He felt like a rabid animal that was in the process of being tamed.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "No! I was at the Planet and woke up on the train and… that was you, right? The train?"

"You've been missing for three weeks, Lois."

Her confused expression softened immediately at the sound of her first name leaving his lips. He had never called her anything but 'Miss Lane' while talking to her as the Blur. However, she was quiet and motionless. He assumed she was trying to process this new information as her eyes drifted to the ground, but it was only momentary. Her eyes focused on him now, or where she thought he might be. He had retreated with each step she had taken earlier, but he was running out of room behind him now.

She took another step forward and he took one back again, this time, hitting wall. This didn't deter her though. She continued to walk forward until she was just outside the edge of the shadow that protected him.

"Lois," he said. She stopped at the sound of his voice, but raised a cautious hand.

"Please."

Who was he to deny her? He couldn't. Not this. Not anymore. As her fingertips crossed the line dividing light and dark, he grasped them in his own. He heard her quick intake of breath at the contact, but could only focus on the fire that ignited deep in his chest as his skin touched hers for the first time in weeks.

The last of his willpower crumbled and he tugged her gently towards him. Her scent overwhelmed his senses at the closeness of their bodies and he almost felt lightheaded. Logic and thought went out the window as her warm breath hit his neck and her hands came to rest on his chest. He dared to look down at her, but her gaze was focused solely on the crest that covered his black t-shirt. One of her fingers traced the S-like shape and he shivered.

However, as her eyes began to travel up his chest and towards his face, he found himself suddenly incredibly afraid. Instinctively, he pushed her away slightly, though he did not loosen his hold on her arms. Somehow understanding him, she stood there without looking up at him yet. Instead, she slowly pried his hands off of her arms.

"It's okay. You can trust me," she whispered. " _Please_."

Words weren't enough in that moment, so he did what he'd been dreaming about ever since he realized she was missing. Crushing her against his chest, he lifted her face to his and finally met her gaze. Hazel eyes widened in shock, but he didn't give her time to process the revelation of his identity, because as soon as the beginning of his name left her lips, he silenced them with his own.

The feeling of her lips against his was incredible. It stripped him raw of all the walls he had built up over the past weeks and he welcomed it. The warmth that flowed through his body was sensational and he wanted nothing more than to feel that way forever. Her lips parted beneath his and she emitted a soft noise. But she had yet to kiss him back, and he had actually been about to pull away when he felt her hands finally grip his shirt. The new pressure of her lips on his set off his body in an entirely new way. Never before had he felt this sense of connection or completeness. He finally felt like he could breathe again.

His back was pushed up against the brick building behind him while Lois pressed herself closer to him. He felt her hands in his hair and let out a low growl. Nipping at her bottom lip, he was rewarded with a moan of appreciation. Anything that he had learned the past few weeks went out the window as he lost himself in her. He wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to feel like when he finally finished his training and embraced his destiny, but he was sure as hell it couldn't be anything compared to this.

As her hands slid down his neck and back to his chest, he felt her kisses start to lose their intensity. And as much as he wanted to stand there forever with Lois wrapped up in his arms, he also knew he needed to talk to her. To find out where she had been. Her lips brushed his softly once more before their mouths parted. His eyes immediately sought hers, but they were still closed. With her lips still parted, he traced her bottom lip with his thumb, effectively breaking her out of her trance.

"Lois?"

Hazel eyes met blue once again and he waited patiently for an answer. Even if she ran or hit him or screamed, he wouldn't care. The moment they had just shared would be enough to carry him through centuries alone if needed. But the look in her eyes told him that would never be the case. She gazed at him with all the adoration and wonder in the world, a look that made him realize then and there that he would never be able to live without this woman ever again.

"It's you," she breathed. "It's always been… _you_."

Her fingers touched the side of his cheek and he sighed while unconsciously leaning into her warm palm. Between her words and the look she was giving him right now, he wasn't sure how long he could last without attacking her mouth again. But his curiosity got the better of him. Cupping her cheeks in both of his hands, he brought her forehead to his own and closed his eyes.

"Where were you?" he asked for the third time. "I couldn't find you. I couldn't…"

He struggled with the right words and was annoyed when his throat caught with emotion. She pulled slightly back, but only so she could look at him directly again.

"I was fighting in the Planet with Tess and there was this orb," she said. "Then there was a flash and I ended up on the train… and you saved me."

The softness of her adoring voice made him weak enough to have to lean back and use the wall to brace himself. She took this as a sign of rejection and stepped slightly back, but his arm was shooting out just as quickly to reel her back into him. With her hands back on his chest, he felt the sense of heat he hadn't felt leave, return at full force. He tried to think of the right words to say— any words, really— but found it impossible to think about anything other than _her_.

"What happened, Smallville?"

As soon as the familiar nickname left her lips, he felt his heart squeeze. God, he had _missed_ her. But the name reminded him of home and the events that had triggered his denunciation of humanity. Not even Kryptonite could force him to change his mind, but here Lois was doing it with just a touch. Images of David Bloome and Jimmy flashed through his mind, causing his eyes to fill with tears. There was no way he'd be able to tell her the story in this state, so he said the only words that he could that were true.

"You _left_."

As tears gathered in her eyes, they began to fall down Clark's face at a rapid pace. His face contorted as the first sob broke free from his mouth, but Lois moved quickly. Face pressed into her neck and arms wrapped tightly around her waist, he let himself fall completely against her. Soft shushes, among other sweet reassurances, broke from her lips as she stroked his back.

"I'm here now. I'm right here."

He wasn't sure how long they stood like that, but his super-hearing eventually picked up movement in the vicinity. Knowing that they were still in a very public place, he finally lifted his head from her shoulder. He looked up at her once more and cleared his throat.

"Someone's coming this way. Will you come with me?" he asked. He couldn't leave her like this. Not when he had just gotten her back. He gripped her shoulders tightly, but taking care not to bruise her. When she gave him a small nod, he swiftly picked her up and blurred away to the one place he knew they wouldn't be bothered. Home.

* * *

When he finally stopped moving, he found Lois still had her head buried into his shoulder to hide her face from the wind. Gently, he nudged her forehead with his own which caused her to look up. As she did, he couldn't help himself. The twinkle in her eyes and the slight smile on her face made it impossible not to brush his lips against hers once more. He had only had one taste and he was already addicted. But they had things to talk about, so he didn't let the kiss escalate any further.

Lois blushed, which he had never thought was possible, as he set her down on her feet. She brushed out her ruffled clothes, which Clark noticed were still bloody and dirty from her adventure to, well, wherever she had been. Before she could say a word, he blurred upstairs and retrieved some of his clothes for her to change into.

"Do you want to take a shower?" he asked. She shook her head, but took the change of clothes with a small smile. As she walked to the downstairs bathroom to change, Clark changed as well. It didn't feel right wearing that outfit in here… with _her_. Now wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans, he sat on the couch and waited patiently for her to come out. He stared at the door unabashedly and sucked in a breath when she walked out. Only Lois Lane could make sweatpants and a flannel look like the sexiest thing in the world on a woman.

Lois didn't take her eyes off of him as she walked over and sat down next to him. Neither spoke, each not knowing quite what to say. But it had always been Lois who couldn't stand the awkward silences, so he wasn't surprised when she was the one to break it.

"You look different."

Soft fingers brushed against his cheek briefly. He supposed he did look different since he hadn't shaved in a while, but truthfully, he hadn't had the need to look in a mirror recently. His own hand enclosed her fingers in his own and he sighed.

"I haven't exactly been myself lately," he replied. Lois swallowed nervously, he suspected, and her eyes fluttered shut for a moment before she looked back up at him.

"I just want you to know that you don't have to tell me everything right now. Or even ever. Not if you don't want to," she said. Her voice was shaking and he couldn't understand why, but her verbal vomit continued. "I mean, it would be nice eventually, because I do have a few questions. But also, no pressure."

"I want to tell you everything. And I will. I just…" his voice trailed off as he caught her gaze again. He was so entranced by those beautiful, hazel orbs that he couldn't finish his line of thought. Instead, he touched her face again, relishing in the softness of her skin.

"You just what, Smallville?" she asked as she lifted her hand to cover his own. Taking in a shaky breath, he widened his fingers so hers could slip in between them.

"I just _missed_ you. God, I missed you," he breathed before her kissed her again. He knew that he was avoiding the topic at hand, but he was powerless in her presence. And in this close proximity, there was absolutely nothing he could do or wanted to do about it. Lois didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, she responded rather enthusiastically before her senses seemed to kick in.

"I missed you too," she said. "But I guess not quite like you missed me, huh?"

"You have no idea," he said. Smiles appeared on both of their faces briefly before Lois got a serious look on her face.

"Mind enlightening me?" she asked quietly. Clark sighed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Lois, all I know is that after I defeated Doomsday, I couldn't find you for three weeks. You disappeared," he said. "And I searched everywhere, but I couldn't find you. I couldn't hear you until I found you on that train today."

"You couldn't hear me?" she asked with a furrowed brow. Her wonderful, steady heartbeat echoed in the back of his mind, now a calming song that put him at ease once again. Avoiding her eyes, he traced his fingers down the side of her neck until his palm came to rest over her heart.

"Your heartbeat. I couldn't hear your heartbeat," he whispered. "You weren't lost you were just… gone. And I thought that maybe you'd…"

He couldn't finish the sentence. Though he wasn't proud of it, there was one day that he allowed himself to believe Lois Lane was dead. It had been the third day of her disappearance. He had circled the globe nine times at that point all while avoiding contact with the rest of the League, yet keeping a tab on their process. He knew Chloe was searching for her too. But the reality that he couldn't find her hit him when the silence in his head became too much. Normally, when all was quiet, he still had the quiet thumping in the back of his head to keep him grounded. But the silence of his own thoughts was maddening.

"Can you hear it now?" she asked, her voice thick in her throat. He nodded and a smile tugged at his lips as he heard it increase.

"The rhythm just went up."

"Oh." Her cheeks went pink at that, something that had happened twice now solely due to him, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Can you blame a girl? I mean, dropping the 'identity bomb' and the 'feelings bomb' at the same time?" she said. For a third time, her cheeks went red. "Not that there was a 'feelings bomb' or anything. I know you were probably caught up in the moment and were worried or just needed some—"

"Lois, I— Clark Kent _died_ when you left. And he hasn't been back around until now," he said. "You brought me back."

It was Lois that kissed Clark this time. Taken by surprise, Clark fell backwards into the couch all while pulling her and their still fused lips with him. He cradled her head in his left hand while his other arm pressed her up against him. He wanted to consume her. She had come back into his life only hours ago and already had destroyed weeks of focus. But he welcomed it. She made him feel again. She broke from his mouth briefly to look into his eyes once more.

"Everything else can wait. For now, let's just have this."


	2. Sunlight

**Randomly decided to make this a two-shot! Will maybe write more later on, depending on if I have any more bouts of inspiration, but no promises!**

Sunlight. That was the first thing that Lois registered as her eyes finally opened. There was a steady, bright stream of light flooding in from the window beside her that was annoyingly, and accurately, pinpointed on her face. Groaning, she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow. A familiar smell filled her nostrils and she frowned. _Where was she?_ Opening one eye, she found herself staring back at her own face. An old picture of her laughing next to Clark and his parents was sitting on the nightstand beside her.

 _Clark._

The events from yesterday exploded into her brain. The fight with Tess, the orb, the train… the Blur. Clark. Clark was the Blur. The Blur was Clark. Her eyes popped open wide as she finally processed that last fact. How had she not seen it? How had she not known? Part of her tried to give him a little credit, but the more rational part of her brain told her that Clark Kent had always been a terrible liar who always had an awful excuse in his back pocket. The fact was that deep down, Lois had wanted so badly for Clark and the Blur to be the same person that she forced herself to separate the two. She had been disappointed too many times with too many men in her life and she wasn't going to put the one actual good man she knew up on a pedestal.

Except that he was. Knowing that the farm boy and super-powered hero were one in the same stunted her ability to think about Clark Kent. Did she even know him? Was he being truthful when he talked to her as the Blur or as Clark? Throwing the other pillow over her head, she let out a small groan. This was too much for her to deal with at the moment. Of course, that only filled her senses with his scent again.

 _Oh, God_. They had kissed last night. He had kissed _her_. The feeling of his lips on hers was still fresh on her mind and a smile broke out on her face underneath the fabric of the pillowcase. Even if it had only been because she had been missing, she didn't care. Her feelings for Clark, and his alter ego for that matter, had been established a long time ago, regardless of the fact that she hadn't been able to bring herself to admit to it.

A thousand other questions ran through her head as she stayed hidden under the sheets and pillows, but her bladder eventually decided that she would have to get up. She stood gingerly, realizing then just how sore her body was. Between the fight with Tess, the run-in with the psycho on the train, and whatever she had been doing the past three weeks—weeks she still could not remember—her muscles and joints felt like those of a 75-year-old woman. Making her way out the door and into the hallway, she stopped to listen for any movement in the house. Hearing none, she figured Clark must be doing chores. Or perhaps he was out saving someone. Smiling a little at the second thought, she made her way into the bathroom.

After relieving herself and a quick shower, she changed back into the flannel and sweatpants that she had previously been wearing. As she glanced at herself in the mirror, she saw that the cut on her head had already scabbed over and the rest of her appearance seemed fairly unaffected. There was something about herself that looked different, though. Maybe it was the revelation of Clark's identity or maybe it had something to do with her missing memories, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. Before she could really contemplate it though, the sound of a closing door downstairs pulled her out of her thoughts.

Lois made her way out of the bathroom and down the stairs slowly. Part of her was nervous to see Clark after last night. Though she didn't remember going to sleep, she did recall sitting with him on the couch for a long time and had a strong feeling that he'd carried her up to his bed. A brief image of him sleeping next to her struck her suddenly, but she shook it from her thoughts. There was no way he would've done that. Regardless of his super-status, he was still mild-mannered Clark Kent.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped. He was turned away from her and seemed to be cooking something on the stove, but he was dressed in his black shirt, confirming her earlier suspicion. It felt as though something was squeezing her heart as she thought about how he hadn't changed clothes. Knowing Clark, half of her thought that he would've tried to cover last night up as some bad dream or something, but here he was still dressed as the Blur knowing that she could walk in on him at any point. He finally trusted her and that was something she had been waiting for since the first time they met.

"Good morning."

Her head snapped up as he spoke and realized that he was now looking at her. Blue eyes bore into hers with a strong intensity that gave her flashbacks to last night. He had never been so emotional with her before, or at least not so open about it. He looked different than last night though. Calmer and more in control of himself.

"You shaved," she said. _You shaved?_ _That's_ what she came up with? Clark looked confused for a moment, but then rubbed his hand along his jaw. A soft smile appeared on his face before he turned back to the pan.

"Yeah, well, I finally looked in the mirror this morning and realized how bad it had gotten," he replied. "I'm making breakfast, if you're hungry. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. There's coffee in the pot, too."

Her stomach grumbled at his suggestion of food, but the smell of coffee was what finally caused her feet to move. She walked towards the coffee machine and poured herself a mug before taking a lengthy sip. A sigh of appreciation escaped her lips and she turned to find Clark watching her with that same expression he had on his face when she first walked down the stairs.

"What?" she asked. He blinked a few times and cleared his throat, turning back towards the stove.

"Nothing… it's just really good to see you, Lois," he said softly. He turned his gaze back towards her and she felt her heart constrict again. God, he didn't even have to speak! Just his eyes were enough to make her lose her train of thought. Clearing her throat, she crossed the kitchen and sat the table, desperately needing some distance from him if she was going to try and form a coherent thought or word.

"You saw me last night, Smallville," she said. "But it's good to see you, too. Especially since you're making me breakfast. Now chop, chop."

A brilliant smile spread across his face and she just about melted. She stared down at the rich, brown liquid in her mug in order to distract herself as he finished preparing two plates for them. When the plate slid in front of her and the smell of food hit her, she just about forgot that Clark was even in the room. It didn't cross her mind as to question why she was so hungry, but she had practically scarfed down half of her breakfast before Clark even picked up his fork. Feeling him staring at her again though, she lowered her fork and began to eat at a normal pace.

They were both quiet as they ate until he asked her if she wanted seconds, to which she replied eagerly. As she began on her second helping of eggs, the silence and the staring got to be too much for her.

"Okay, you have _got_ to stop looking at me like that," she finally said. His trance broke once more and he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. It's just a little surreal still. I haven't been able to find you for weeks and now you're back here eating breakfast at my kitchen table again. I can't help it," he said. Draining the last sip from her coffee cup, she placed it on the table and sat back in her chair.

"About that," she began, "I'm a little fuzzy on exactly what happened last night aside from your Blur revelation—which is another conversation in itself, by the way—so can you give me a quick recap?"

Another heart-stopping smile flashed across his face as she spoke and she was finding it hard not to stare back at him. Clark reached over and grabbed her plate before stacking it on top of his and moving towards the sink to deposit their dishes.

"From what you told me, you and Tess had a fight in the Planet that ended up with some orb being activated and you disappearing for three weeks. I have no idea where you went, but I found you passed out on a runaway train last night where you said you had fought some woman you don't know," he explained as he walked back over to the table, this time, taking the chair next to her. "You left the hospital to meet, well, _me_ and then I brought you back here to talk and…"

"Right," she replied quickly, still unsure about where they stood or whether last night had meant to him what it meant to her. "Well, unfortunately I still don't remember anything about being missing, so I don't really know what to tell you about that."

"You don't have to tell me anything, Lois. Truthfully, I don't really care right now," he said. His hand slid across the table and gently grasped her fingers. The fluttering feeling in her chest increased rapidly and she did everything she could not to look at him. "I'm just happy that you're back."

"Me, too." Her eyes flicked up to his face, which she found was a lot closer to hers than before. She dared to look at his enticing lips and found herself overcome with the desire to feel them on her own again, but something inside of her made her lean back. Somehow understanding, Clark reflected her actions, but did not let go of her hand.

"We should talk."

"Only if you want to. I told you I wouldn't ask if you didn't want to tell me," she said, though every fiber of her being was screaming for answers. Raising an eyebrow, he chuckled and began rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. Lord, the things he was doing to her!

"Lois Lane not asking questions? Are you feeling alright?" he joked. She rolled her eyes at him, but grinned nonetheless.

"I didn't say I don't _have_ questions—quite the opposite, actually—but," she paused. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and squared her body to his. When she opened her eyes, she found the strength to look into his eyes directly. "I'm not going to pressure you. I know that people around you have questioned you your entire life, which in hindsight makes total sense now, but I'm still not going to do that to you. I won't be that person. So, tell me if you want to. If not, you can still trust me to keep your secret."

He didn't speak for what felt like ages. All he did was stare at her with that same expression that she had caught him wearing at least three other times this morning. When it got to be too much for her, she pulled her hand out of his and huffed.

"Okay, say something, Smallville! You know I hate silences! So stop—"

That's as far as she got. He had taken her by surprise yet again, but the feeling of his lips on hers quickly snapped her out of her shock. The gentle, yet firm pressure of his mouth lifted the weight of doubt off of her heart and head, causing her to completely give into him. Heat radiated from his hard chest and she found herself leaning in closer to surround herself in it. She briefly felt her body lift into his lap, but the new body contact made her head cloudy. Though she couldn't form a single coherent thought, she could feel in her heart how much she needed this. She could feel just how much she needed him and how she probably always would.

"You have _no_ idea what that means to me," he whispered. With eyes still closed and foreheads still pressed together, the two sat in a brief silence trying to catch their breath. When Lois's eyes finally fluttered open, she found him looking at her again.

"I thought we talked about the staring," she murmured. His lips turned upwards and he leaned back slightly while sliding his hands down her sides. She shivered involuntarily at the movement and tried to extinguish the blush in her cheeks when he smirked at her.

"And I told you I couldn't help it."

"Then maybe I'll just have to leave."

A flash of intensity flickered across his face as she felt his hands tighten their grip on her. His normally bright, cerulean eyes turned a shade darker and she knew that she had accidentally triggered some painful memory. Without really thinking, she took his face in between her hands and kissed him softly for a moment. It was a kiss of reassurance, one that told him she wasn't leaving and never would again.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Bad joke?"

A chuckle escaped his lips as he brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. Shaking his head, he sighed and cupped her cheek.

"No, just some leftover worrying on my part," he said. "But I'd appreciate it if you didn't. At least until I tell you everything I want to tell you. Then, I won't blame you."

"Smallville, if I didn't run when I found you, butt-ass naked in a corn field, what makes you think you can get rid of me now?"

* * *

After a _literal_ five second shower and change of clothes from Clark, Lois found herself sitting on the couch with a fresh cup of coffee in her hands and a nervous farm boy in front of her. It had been about two minutes of pacing, briefly stopping to look at her, and muttering under his breath before Lois sighed.

"Clark, I told you, if you don't want to tell me—"

"I do! God, Lois, I _do_ want to tell you. More than anything," he said. Sighing, he took a seat on the coffee table in front of her. "I've just never sat down and told anyone before. Every other person who knows my secret found out on their own. It was never my choice."

"Well, let's start simple. Who else knows?" she asked. "Besides your parents. And Chloe, I'm assuming? Obviously, Oliver…"

He raised his eye brow at her and she shut her mouth. She still couldn't process the fact that he was choosing her—her! Lois, loud-mouth, Lane—to be the first person he told his Blur-related secret to. Although she was fairly certain he would just be admitting that he was affected by the meteors, there was something else that seemed to be weighing on him.

"Yes, my parents, Chloe, and Oliver know. Besides that, AC, my old friend Pete, and Lana know, too," he said. She involuntarily clenched her jaw at the mention of the petite raven-haired girl, but quickly forgot about it. "And Lex knew. I think."

"Lex? How the hell did he find out? Is that why he hated you so much? Because you're the Blur?" She couldn't contain herself. Lex Luthor knowing that Clark was the Blur was dangerous, even if Clark did have super powers. Lex had been a very powerful man with too many resources at his disposal. Knowing his history with the meteor infected, she shuddered at what he could have done to Clark.

"My relationship with Lex was… complicated to say the least. But that's a story for another time. Right now… I just want to tell you everything else. About me."

Lois watched as Clark's hands ran back and forth across the fabric of his jeans. His eyes were now focused anywhere except her face. She had definitely seen Clark nervous before, but not at this level. Reaching over, she took his hands in her own and leaned forward.

"Listen to me, there's nothing you can say that'll make me bolt. Regardless of your abilities, your alter-ego, whatever else you haven't told me… it doesn't matter. You're still Clark Kent. You're still Smallville to me, okay?"

His eyes met hers with another heart-stopping amount of intensity and she swallowed. Truth be told, the way he was acting did scare her a little bit, but she knew she needed to be strong for him right now. Whatever he was going to say, she had to be ready for.

"I'm from another planet."

That, she was not ready for. Blinking a few times, she tried to process the information, but failed. Narrowing her eyes, she dropped his hands and crossed her arms.

"Prove it."

He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Priding herself in being fairly good at reading Clark's facial expressions, she was lost on this one. His face was thoughtful, but blank.

"Prove it?" he finally asked. Lois opened her mouth to speak, but a deep bout of laughter cut her off. "I tell you I'm from another planet and you ask me to _prove it_? Was the super speed not enough for you?"

"Well, how do I know you're not just meteor infected? That would make a hell of a lot more sense than alien!"

"I prefer intergalactic traveler."

"Okay Mr. Politically-Correct, whatever. I still want proof."

Seconds later, Lois found herself standing in the loft of the barn with Clark's arms around her, yet again. Stepping out of his embrace, she folded her arms as Clark immediately went over to his desk. Tapping her foot for good measure, she grinned when he shot her a look before continuing his search for whatever he was looking for. As she waited, she took a minute to look around the loft. It had felt like forever since she had been up here. In fact, the last time she could remember being up here was Chloe's wedding. Swallowing, she tried to push images from that night out of her head.

"Here."

Lois turned and found Clark holding out a leather-bound book. Frowning, she took it from his hand and began flipping through it. Images of odd-looking shapes and foreign symbols littered the pages along with some explanations beside all of them. Words like 'Krypton' and 'Kal-El' jumped out at her, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen them before. After browsing pages of what seemed like nonsense to her, she looked up to find Clark looking at her with a terrified expression on his face. That look was enough to convince her that he wasn't playing any tricks on her. She could feel how scared he was and that made her nervous.

"Okay. Okay, so none of this really makes much sense to me, but I can tell by your face that you're not lying to me," she said. He visibly relaxed at that, but the fear in his eyes did not waver. "Why don't you just give me the Cliff Notes version of this bad boy?"

Nodding, he beckoned her over to the couch while he sat across from her on the table again. His hands gripped the table so hard that it creaked, so she reached over to steady his bouncing knee. Giving her a small smile, he closed his eyes and sighed.

"My given name is Kal-El. I was born on a planet called Krypton. When I was a baby, my planet was under attack and on the verge of being destroyed, so my biological parents put me on a ship and sent me to Earth. My biological grandfather had been to Earth many years before and met Hiram Kent, my grandfather, so he knew that Earth was a safe place to send me. The day of the first meteor shower, my parents found me."

"So, the meteor shower… was that your planet?" she asked slowly. Nodding, he took another breath and stood up to walk over to the window. Like a magnet, Lois followed him.

"Pieces of it. Some of it was just regular meteors, but radioactive pieces of Krypton—green, blue and red Kryptonite—fell along with it and created the meteor infected population. Green is poisonous to me, blue takes away my powers, and red strips away my, uh, inhibitions," he said. His cheeks flooded with red at the mention of the red Kryptonite, to which she raised an eye brow, but he continued looking at the sky.

"So, stay away from the green rocks, got it," she said. "What about everyone else? Are you… the only one?"

"No, Kara really is my cousin," he said with a small smile and glance her way. "She came during the same meteor shower, but her ship was stuck in suspended animation for eighteen years under the Reeves Dam until it broke. She was the first person I'd met from Krypton."

That gave Lois some comfort, but a pit was widening in her stomach. Had he really been alone for the first major part of his life? No friends, no family… no one that was like him, at all? Her hand slid over his and grasped it tightly, trying to convey her sympathy. When she felt him squeeze her hand back, she looked up at him. The worry in his eyes was gone now, but there was still something cautious in his expression.

"I'm sorry. That must have been really hard growing up," she said. He shrugged and looked back out the window.

"I didn't really know any better until I turned 14. I thought I was just really strong for my age, until Lex hit me with his car and I walked away unscathed. After that, my dad showed me the ship I came down in and it all sort of unraveled."

"He hit you with his _car_?" she asked. "Okay, before you tell me anything else, I have _got_ to know: what else do you have in your arsenal?"

"Um… well, besides the super strength and invulnerability, you've seen the super speed. I can shoot fire out of my eyes and have x-ray vision. I can see and hear things that are miles away, I have really powerful lungs that can freeze things, I can jump really far, I don't get tired or sick, and, when I do happen to get hurt, I can heal really fast. I'm also supposed to be able to fly, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet."

For the first time in her life, Lois Lane did not have a response. She looked at him for a moment, really _looked_ at him, and wasn't able to comprehend that her simple, farm boy turned reporter was capable of all of those things. Replaying the conversation in her head, she subconsciously crossed her arms over her chest again.

"X-ray vision? You ever put that to good use, peeping Tom?" she asked. Cheeks reddening yet again, Clark cleared his throat and shifted his weight to his other side.

"No, I have to concentrate to use it. Trust me, Lois, you'd know."

Thinking of the other implications that statement had, she began to blush herself and looked away from him to diffuse the tension. Moving back to the couch, she plopped down and stretched her arms out along the back of the sofa.

"Okay, not that I don't believe you, but I think I'm going to need a demonstration," she said playfully. Grinning, Clark walked over to stand in between her legs and bent down. "What in the _hell_ do you think—"

Suddenly, she was face to face with Clark. Realizing that her body hadn't moved from the worn-out cushions, she looked down to find the entire sofa levitating off the ground. Clark's left arm hung loosely at his side and her mouth dropped open.

"Guess I should stop calling you Smallville," she managed to say. As he lowered the couch back to the ground, she heard a deep sigh escape his lips and frowned. The anxiety that had previously left his gaze was back and she couldn't for the life of her understand what he was still scared about. "What is it? I promise, I'm not afraid of you or anything. You've actually impressed me more than I thought possible."

"That's just it, Lois," he said and made his way back over to the window. Seeing the tension in his shoulders, she immediately followed and placed a hand on his arm.

"What is it? Tell me," she said. When he continued with his silence, she pulled his hand from the railing and insinuated herself between his body and the window. Reaching a hand up, she beckoned him to look at her. Stormy blue eyes met concerned hazel and she tried with all of her might to silently get him to open up. When that didn't work, she used the only request that had broken through to him the previous night.

" _Please_."

"I don't want you to look at me any differently. I couldn't take it. You're the only person that's ever made me feel normal, that hasn't put me up on some pedestal or made me out to be some _god_ or something," he said. "You make me feel human, Lois."

The vulnerability in his baby blues made every bit of sense in the world now. Closing her own eyes, she leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She understood now. Everyone that had found out saw the powers, not the man. They saw Kal-El, not Clark. Clutching him a bit closer, mostly to try and calm her own rapidly beating heart, his last sentence rattled around in her head. _You make me feel human._ God, she loved him.

She loved him. Lois Lane loved Clark Kent. She was _in_ love with him. And it wasn't because he had these amazing powers or because he had finally told her, it was because he turned out to be exactly who she had always known he was: a great man. The most generous, caring, thoughtful, selfless, amazing man she had ever met, and she would be crazy to _not_ be in love with him. Feeling his hands still on her back, she finally pulled away just far enough so that she could look at him directly.

"Clark… your powers and your heritage are really amazing. They really are. But it's what you _do_ with those gifts that amazes me. You're so selfless, even with all of this weight on your shoulders, and it wouldn't matter if you had your powers or not. That's just the type of person—of _man_ that you are. You put everyone before yourself, always, and that's what I find so incredible," she said. "And listen, the powers definitely knock your dork factor down a bit, which is going to make it _way_ more annoying to bust your chops, but you're still Clark Kent to me. You'll always be my Smallville, okay?"

He answered her with the most earth-shattering kiss she had ever experienced in her life. She thought that their first had affected her, which it did, but it didn't hold a candle to the way she was feeling now. Her body tingled from her fingertips to her toes and she thought her heart might burst out of her chest. It wasn't fiery and hungry like their first kiss had been—a kiss full of years of pent up desire and relief, for Clark—but one of complete and total bliss. This was bliss. His lips caressed hers gently before kissing her again more firmly, all while pressing every inch of her up against his solid body. Her hands were threaded through his black locks, his stroking all the right spots on her back. Though their lips were still fused together, she felt as though this was the first time in her life that she could truly breathe.

He pulled away abruptly, but barely gave her an inch. With his forehead pressed against her own, she heard his heavy breathing over her own shaky breath and smiled. _Never gets tired, huh?_ With his eyes still shut, a brilliant smile broke out over his face causing a fluttering feeling to erupt in her stomach. When his eyes fluttered open, the complete lack of fear and overwhelming amount of happiness that shone from those mesmerizing blue orbs just about made her melt.

"Lois… I… I don't even know what to say," he breathed. The smile on his face spoke a million words and she grinned back, her mind and body still coming down from a euphoric high. Fingers playing with the ends of his hair, she leaned back as far as he'd let her and feigned a dramatic sigh.

"Mmm… how about, 'You're amazing, Lois? The most wonderful, incredible, understanding Earthling I've ever met?'"

"I love you."

Her heart stopped. Breathing ceased. Blood froze. _Did he just…?_

"I don't care if you don't and I'm sorry if that scares you, but I love you," he said, again. "I think I knew it as soon as you disappeared and I definitely realized it when I found you last night, but hearing you say what you just said to me… I'm in love with you."

"Clark…"

She couldn't formulate the words. Though her head _screamed_ at her to respond, her mouth just wouldn't move. Clark Kent loved her. He was _in_ love with her. Clark, the Blur, Smallville, Kal-El… he loved Lois Lane. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, probably looking like a silent idiot with her mouth halfway open, but she finally came to when she felt his grip slacken and saw that look of fear start to creep back into his eyes. Kissing him fiercely, she wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck that she probably would have choked him, had he been human.

"I love you too, Smallville."


End file.
